The Dish: Lobster Rolls

By: Kasey Wilson

In the film Julie & Julia, there’s a scene where Julie Powell cooks live lobsters for the first time. She carefully dumps them into a pot of boiling salted water and puts on the lid. When a lobster knocks the lid off the pot, she freaks out.

Recently, I learned to cook live lobsters at the Dirty Apron Cooking School in Vancouver, and I can relate to the trauma Julie felt. Luckily, many seafood shops will cook the lobster for you, and with lower prices for crustaceans, there has never been a better time to purchase them.

When choosing your lobsters, look for ones that are lively when pulled from the water and make sure to cook them within 24 hours of purchase. A lobster with a softer shell has recently molted and is likely to have more water weight and less meat.

Like most shellfish, lobster doesn’t take long to cook, and will turn from black to red when it is done. The change in colour is caused by astaxanthin, a hidden pigment that is revealed when the protein is cooked. Astaxanthin is found in many crabs and shrimp and is responsible for the pink colour of flamingos that feed on crustaceans.

There is a common misconception that people with high cholesterol levels, or anyone adverse to decadent foods, should avoid lobster. The truth is that, as long as you don’t dip it into butter sauce, lobster is actually a healthy protein option. Boiled lobster has only 83 calories and 0.5 grams fat per three ounces, and only 61 milligrams of cholesterol.

One of my favourite sandwiches is the lobster roll. Traditionally, it consists of a grilled hot dog bun, topped with pieces of fresh lobster meat, mayo, celery and lettuce. In Atlantic Canada, you can even purchase them at McDonald’s and Subway.

This untraditional lobster roll recipe by chef Thomas Keller, author of Ad Hoc at Home (Artisan, $70), uses larger chunks of lobster for texture and juiciness, and judiciously binds the filling with a frugal amount of fresh herb mayonnaise. To add a little acidity, Keller serves the sandwich with pickled onions. You can also serve with potato chips.

In Atlantic Canada, lobster rolls are sided with coleslaw, potato salad or French fries. For a summery accompaniment, Keller recommends serving corn on the cob.

Keller’s Lobster Rolls

*1 1/2 lbs. (about 4 cups) cooked lobster, cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch chunks

3-4 tbsp. mayonnaise

2 tbsp. minced onion

2 tbsp. finely chopped peeled celery

2 tsp. finely chopped tarragon

2 tsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tsp. chopped chives

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lime

6 hot dog buns

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed, dried and torn into pieces

How to cook a lobster

Put the cooked lobster meat in a large bowl, add mayonnaise and stir gently to coat. Add the onion, celery, tarragon, parsley, chives, salt and pepper to taste, and stir gently. Squeeze the lime over the salad and fold in the juice. Cover and refrigerate.

Open the hot dog buns and brush with butter. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Just before serving, put the rolls in the pan and brown the buttered sides.

Line each bun with a couple of small pieces of lettuce. Mound the lobster salad in the buns.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

*For this quantity of lobster meat, you will need five 1 – 1 1/4 lb. lobsters.

The Match: Dry Riesling